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This is a black & white postcard of the southern facade of the Exhibition Building circa 1905. The postcard, which has a handwritten inscription on the reverse, was printed as part of the Marlborough Art Series.

The Exhibition Building was built for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition, which opened to visitors on 1 October 1880. On 9 May 1901, it hosted the opening of the First Commonwealth Parliament of Australia. By the early 20th century, picture postcards of the Exhibition Building were a popular Melbourne souvenir.

The division of the reverse of the postcard, allowing a message to be written on one half and the address on the other, was not permitted in Britain until 1902 and Australia until 1905.

Description:

A black & white photograph of the south east corner of the Exhibition Building with the lake in the foreground. The photograph is an oval shape with a white surround and a border that imitates a decorated picture frame. The white surround is embossed. There is some filigree decoration in the corners. On the reverse there is a handwritten inscription in black ink which is partly illegible. The postcard has no stamp or date.